A recent coffee shop conversation with a young disciple turned to the value of God’s Word. I shared how significant the Bible has been for my own personal growth, but also admitted my past struggle to find it immediately applicable to my present circumstances. His frequent nods confirmed that this is a common challenge.
All Scripture is God-breathed and useful (2 Timothy 3:16-17), but we must learn how to mine our Bible for the treasure buried within its pages. A text won’t usually give up its powerful truth with a cursory reading. I must do a little digging. And the more I dig, the more I discover about God, me, and life.
So Many Questions
Any parent can become quickly exhausted by the endless questions of their toddler. But our heavenly Father never tires of our questions. Therefore, our most fruitful Bible study results from “interrogating the text.”
Just start asking questions. Who? Why? What? Where? How? When? Approach each passage with a relentless sense of curiosity. Refuse to be satisfied with just not knowing because the answer isn’t obvious. And don’t settle on the answer that “everybody knows is true.” Keep digging while asking the Lord, “Open my eyes that I might see wonderful things in your law” (Psalm 119:18).
I have been reading through the well-known story of Jonah in the Old Testament. The more I interrogated the text, the more suspicious I became about the standard Sunday School answers that I had grown used to. For example, I wondered, “Was Jonah alive in the belly of the fish?” Every cartoon illustration depicts him riding around, waiting to be vomited onto dry ground. But it actually makes more sense for Jonah to have died. The wages of rebellious sin is death (Romans 6:23) and his death and revivification would better correspond to Jesus’ connection to Jonah at His own death and resurrection (Matthew 12:4). At this point my thoughts about this narrative shifted from a prophet riding in a fish from ship to shore to the severe consequences for sin and God’s ability to bring me from utter death to new life for a second chance.
How did I arrive at these conclusions? I simply wondered.
Why did Abraham insist on paying the Hittites for a burial plot when Sarah died (Genesis 23)? Why did God forbid His people from taking the spoils of war in one instance, but allow them to take everything the next time around (compare Joshua 6:18 and Joshua 8:2)? Habakkuk 2:14 is a beautiful mission verse, but why does the verse start with “for”—an odd connection to the demise of Babylon in the previous verses? Is Satan the thief who comes to “steal and kill and destroy” in John 10:10? And isn’t the “full extent” of Jesus’ love shown at the cross, not when He washed the disciples’ feet (John 13:1)?
Let your curiosity uncover the riches of God’s Word.
Living Questions
The problem with asking questions of the Bible is that, sometimes, the Bible doesn’t answer you back. And when readers cease discovering, they cease exploring. The most frequent I complaint that I hear is, “I read my Bible and I don’t get anything out of it. So why read it at all?”
To be sure, there’s value in reading the Bible even if you don’t feel it or know it. It is “sharper than any double-edge sword” (Hebrews 4:12). It is a fire and a “hammer that breaks rocks into pieces” (Jeremiah 23:29). This means that there is power within God’s Word whether I realize it or not. So, the mere discipline of reading, searching, lingering, and questioning is beneficial.
Many years ago, a letter was sent to a British paper and the writer asked about the benefit of listening to sermons when so much of the content was forgotten. A pastor responded to the letter,
Dear Sir:
I have been married for 30 years. During that time I have eaten 32,850 meals—mostly my wife's cooking. Suddenly I have discovered I cannot remember the menu of a single meal. And yet, I have the distinct impression that without them, I would have starved to death long ago.
The point isn’t lost: There is value in eating the Word (see Jeremiah 15:16), even if we don’t feel like we “get something” at each meal.
However, there is something the reader can do to maximize his or her time in the Bible.
Years ago, I proposed “Three Living Questions” to my church. The questions are simple enough to remember and progressive by design to lead to action. They are called “living questions” because they are dynamically applicable to any passage in the Bible—narrative, poetry, prophecy, apocalyptic literature, etc.—and their intent is to lead the reader to deeper spiritual life. This is what I shared with my friend in the coffee shop.
Select a passage and read through it. I find it better to stay in one book of the Bible for a season rather than bouncing from book to book each day. The context of yesterday’s reading helps me better understand the verses for today. Remember that the goal of this time in the Word is not for you to get through the Bible, but for the Bible to get through you. So, if you need to return to a previous day’s text, do it. Linger as long as you want.
Second, as mentioned above, interrogate the text. Wonder what words mean and why people made certain decisions. What is the author’s tone (celebrative, stern, protective, etc.)? What seems to be the problem being addressed? Who is the hero and who/what is the villain. Ask any question you want.
Move to the Three Living Questions:
- What does this passage teach me about God?
- What does this passage teach me about people?
- What should I do?
The first question seeks to grow in our understanding of God. The Bible is from God and about God. It’s the story of what He has been doing in history. So, when I open my Bible, God is wishing for me to know Him better. He wants me to remember that He is sufficient, that He never changes, that He is just as well as merciful, that He keeps His promises, that His love is unending, and that Satan is no match for Him, just to name a few. It’s a good day when you read your Bible and discover something about God.
The Bible also teaches me something about people. Because God is a relational God, the whole Bible tells the story of how He has interacted with men and women. So, the second question explores truth regarding human beings. With a little patience, the day’s passage will offer me a reminder regarding myself and others.
The third Living Question crescendoes in application. The Bible is a book, not only to be read, but to be practiced. It reveals how I live life with God. Therefore, based on what I have learned about God and learned about people (including myself), I should ask, “What should I do?” What new thinking should I adopt? What behavior should change? What action should I take? How will I apply what I have learned?
Let’s take a moment to put these Three Living Questions into action. Consider the very familiar Parable of the Prodigal Son. If helpful, take a moment to read the story in Luke 15:11-32. Then answer the Living Questions:
- What does this passage teach me about God?
ANSWER: Since God is represented by the father in this passage, I can assume that God gives freedom, that He is gracious, that He pursues sinners, that He is longsuffering, and that He allows people to suffer to shake them out of their rebellion.
- What does this passage teach me about people?
ANSWER: The two brothers remind me that people are (and I am) getting what I can from God, running from God, reckless in the blessings God gives, and needing to come to the end of themselves, and that they can be forgiven, and can be jealous of God’s grace toward people we think are worse than us.
- What should I do?
ANSWER: I should recognize God’s undeserved blessings in my life, stay close to His heart by doing XYZ, repent and return if I have fallen away, and/or rejoice when wayward people come to God instead of resenting grace.
By the time I wrap up the last question, I have in mind something specific for the day. Perhaps my questions lead me into deeper prayer of gratitude. Perhaps I shift my attitude toward people whom I think are “the worst of sinners.” Perhaps a pattern of sin comes to light, and I humble myself in confession. In that moment, my Bible reading has become food for life, a worthy investment.
My father used to say, “It never hurts to ask.” He meant that any question may yield nothing, but an unasked question will definitely come up empty-handed. When it comes to the Bible, every question is a good one. So, ask away! Interrogate the text to know God and yourself better, and refuse to leave Scripture without knowing specifically what God intends for your life today. As the Lord commanded Joshua, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).